R1b1 Distribution

Thought it would be helpful to outline the distribution of the R1b haplogroup.  My own JONES surname haplogroup is R1b1a2.  The counties (areas) with the highest per cent are listed:

Welsh (Anglesey)                            89%  n=88
Basque (French/Spanish)                88%  n=67
Bashkirs (Turkic People)                86%  n=43
Irish                                                 82%  n=222
Scots                                               77%  n=61
Spanish (Minorca)                          73%  n=37
Dutch (Germanic West)                  70%  n=27


For those of Welsh descent...here we are...right at top!  That Celtic genome it is.

Any Other Jones Haplogroups?

The last several posts have discussed the haplogroups that have shared the surname JONES. These have been R1, I, E, G, J, and Q. Are there others with the surname Jones that carry one of the other haplogroups? Please identify yourself. Place a comment on this post and give your family haplogroup. Any other JONES families out there?

Terms, Terms, and more Terms

By now the poor brain should be spinning around the terms that are used to communicate information about DNA. This is especially true when ordering a DNA test, and the results are given in a bunch of different terms. Having some idea how all these terms fit together is a helpful thing. My own DNA testing results state:

"We provide the actual scientific Allele values and DYS #'s for your results unless the markers were discovered at the University...."

My results were given as "Panel 1 (1-12)", "Panel 2 (13-25)", and "Panel 3 (26-37). Under each panel the results were given as "Locus", "DYS#", and "Alleles". Wow! Terms, terms, and more terms...what is one to do?

To begin, a "Panel" is how the DNA testing is organized and actually carried out in a testing laboratory. Panel 1 is the first group of 12 genetic markers that have been accepted as the standard among all testing labs. The "Locus" is the assigned panel number that each marker has received beginning with number 1 to number 12 for Panel 1.[number 13-25 for Panel 2, and number 26-37 for panel 3] Each "Locus" number corresponds to a DYS# and Allele value. The DYS# and Allele values had already been described in separate research labs which would of course cause a great deal more confusion if each lab reported their results under different labels!

Now the term DYS# is an abbreviation for D = DNA, Y = Y-Chromosome, and S = (unique) Segment.
A unique segment is the part of the DNA molecule [in this case the Y-chromosome] that has undergone changes (mutation) among several nucleotides in a row. Remember that a change at only one nucleotide is called a SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphism). Changes that have occurred at more than one site in a row (segment) have been termed a "Short Tandem Repeat" or STR. These short, tandem (next to one another) repeats are identified along the DNA molecule at the address called "Allele Value". [The allele was the earliest concept of genetic addresses for the codons that produced a protein.]

Here is the key issue and perhaps the most confusing. A single nucleotide change (SNP) is a very rare occurrence. This change (SNP) is past down generation to generation among a family, thus an ethic group. The SNP is used to characterize a "Haplogroup". The STR (Short Tandem Repeat) happens all along the DNA molecule, and when analyzed together produce the genetic finger print that is called the "Haplotype". Haplogroup (SNP) - Haplotype (STR). Using the Y-chromosome, the haplotype should be the same or very close to all males in the family. It is the STRs that are used to match our ancestors. More to come.

Mapping and Markers

Mapping the human genome was a daunting task. Starting in the early 1980s, The Human Genome Project began depositing enormous amounts of known DNA sequence information in very large computer databases. Over the next 20 years, the "big picture" became clearer. Most, if not all, of the human genome was successfully map around 2002. Since that time, this mapping has been used to help explore the "genetic" history of our human race. It became clear that the genes are DNA segments that encode information about an individual's heritable traits. Mutations are the original source of variation among these heritable traits. It ended up that most of these "mutations" (changes) are substitutions of one base pair (a single nucleotide, remember standing in your dinning room), for another. Once a mutation (SNP)is established, it is past down from one generation to the next. It has been estimated that about 10 million of these SNPs have occured in our human population. [see National Center For Biotechnology Information (NCBI)] Each SNPs is thought to have arose during the passage of time since our human history began.

Basic concepts have been developed that believe the greatest genetic diiversity of the human species is found in the the geographic area which it orginated. [known as Valilov's Concept] A mutation (change) found in the Y-DNA/mtDNA of a large number of people in various parts of the world most likely happened in a common ancestor. These changes can be "marked" and followed as "genetic markers". These genetic markers can be used to place that population group into a "haplogroup". More to come.